Ingrid Scheffer

Professor Scheffer is a paediatric neurologist and epileptologist at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

Her work together with Professor Sam Berkovic and molecular geneticists at the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide, has led the field of epilepsy genetics research over the last 21 years.

This collaboration resulted in identification of the first epilepsy gene and more than half of the genes currently known.

Professor Scheffer has described many novel epilepsy syndromes and continues to work on genotype-phenotype correlation.

In 2014 she became a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, as well as an Officer of the Order of Australia.

Her research interests include genetics of epilepsy, epilepsy syndrome classification, and genetics of autism spectrum disorders and speech and language disorders.

She was awarded the 2007 American Epilepsy Society Clinical Research Recognition Award, the 2009 Eric Susman Prize from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and the L'Oreal-UNESCO Women in Science Laureate for the Asia-Pacific region for 2012.

Professor Scheffer is currently Chair of the International League Against Epilepsy Commission for Classification and Terminology.

Professor Scheffer was awarded the 2013 GlaxoSmithKline Award for Research Excellence for helping to transform the diagnosis of epilepsy.

In 2014 she she was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and received an Officer of the Order of Australia.